When Rafael Benitez joined Chelsea towards the end of 2012, one of his first actions as interim boss was to sell Daniel Sturridge to Liverpool. The striker has since been a huge success, scoring 40 goals in just 66 games.
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Two-and-a-half years later and Benitez has been appointed as the new manager of Real Madrid and we’re all hoping he sends another kindly-priced gift. The Spaniard remains extremely popular at Anfield and he could potentially seal his legacy among Liverpool fans by selling us one of these five stars.
Obviously we could have gone with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, but in the interest of being realistic we’ve picked out five more appropriate targets. Take a look and tell us who you’d like us to sign this summer?
5) Denis Cheryshev
Fresh reports from talkSPORT have recently suggested that we are ready to make a £14m for the winger, with the Liverpool hierarchy reportedly eyeing up the Russia international as a potential replacement for Raheem Sterling. The 24-year-old has played over 100 times for Madrid’s B-team but has never featured for the first-team. He has spent the last two years on loan, first at Sevilla and more recently at Villarreal, where he scored seven goals in 40 appearances last season. He has seven caps for his country but missed the cut for last summer’s World Cup.
4) Asier Illarramendi
The 25-year-old defensive midfielder would be an excellent addition to our ranks, especially considering Steven Gerrard’s imminent departure. The Spanish youth team international joined Madrid from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2013 but has failed to settle at the Bernabeu, where his first-team opportunities have been limited. He’s made 90 appearances during the last two years, scoring three times, but he’s mostly been left out of the side for big games. It will be interesting to see how highly Benitez rates him and whether he’ll choose to keep him this year.
3) Jese
Another highly-rated Spanish youth team international. The 22-year-old is well down the pecking order in the Spanish capital and might be tempted into a move in order to boost his chances on the world stage, particularly in the season leading up to Euro 2016. He scored four times last season, down on the eight he netted the year before, while his opportunities have been further limited by the arrival of Javier Hernandez on a season-long loan deal from Manchester United. He would certainly go some way to boosting our currently ailing forward line.
2) Dani Carvajal
While we’re in need of a midfielder and a striker, we’re perhaps stretched thinnest in the right-back position. With Glen Johnson set to leave us at the end of his contract, which expires this month, and Jon Flanagan out until at least the end of the year through injury, a new full-back is surely a must this summer. Despite our recent offer for Nathaniel Clyne – via BBC Sport – the 23-year-old Spanish international would undoubtedly be a fine addition. And with Danilo having recently joined the club from Porto on a long-term deal, Dani might be open to a move.
1) Isco
This one was talked about a lot earlier in the year, including here by the Daily Express. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder is renowned as one of the world’s very best, having come into his own somewhat at Madrid this season, following injuries to several other key players. He’s scored 17 goals in 106 games over the last two games, while he’s also won his first eight caps for Spain. If Sterling is going to leave for Madrid during the upcoming transfer window then this guy should undoubtedly be one of our biggest bargaining chips. It would be the dream swap.
